


Dearly Beloved

by ConspiracyOfCrows



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-06 18:32:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16838092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConspiracyOfCrows/pseuds/ConspiracyOfCrows
Summary: Sometimes, they watch the stars and listen to the waves.





	Dearly Beloved

The first time the nightmares come, his first response is to sit up all night, huddled in a corner with a flashlight. He’d dozed off around dawn that time, waking with a start when the flashlight dropped out of his hand with a loud thunk onto the wood floors.  
The second time, he gets up to go to the island. Sora’s not sure what drew him out there. Maybe it’s because the island is where everything began. Maybe it’s because it’s quiet, silent except for the waves and the occasional seagull.  
Maybe it’s because he can be alone.

He’s almost tall enough for his feet to reach the sandy rock when he sits on the bent tree, bare feet cool in the starlight. For once, he’s glad there’s no moon. Looking up, the familiar old constellations comforting, he realizes there’s more stars now than when he first set out, shining brightly down in reds and blues mixed in with the yellowy-white of the heavens. He wonders which one is Radiant Garden, or Twilight Town, or the Castle with his friends.

When he comes back home, shoes in hand, it’s well past dawn, and Sora knows he deserves the chewing out he’s getting for vanishing without saying anything. He promises to leave a note next time, just in case. It seems to placate his mother, and she lets him come inside to wash the sand off his legs. She knows her son came home a hero. But most importantly, her son came home. It becomes a fairly regular thing, going out at night. He sits on the rock with the bent tree, or lays back in the sand, to watch the stars, the gentle glow soothing when he listens to the waves. Sora tells himself that in his dreams, he couldn’t smell the salt-spray, or feel the cool breeze coming in off the water. He tells himself that it’s real.

The next chewing out he gets is from his friends. Riku had intended to climb in the window like when they were kids, only to find an empty bed that hadn’t been unmade in days. Sora can’t help but laugh a little again, promising to leave another note after explaining. Riku joins him on the third night after that.

The silence between them is comfortable. They both know the journey has been long, and this is a well-deserved respite. Riku dozes off more frequently than Sora does, and it’s only when Riku is pink from the morning sunshine that Sora nudges him awake, heading back to shore for breakfast.

He thinks he’s figured out which one is Radiant Garden by the time Kairi comes out with them, dragging an old comforter up from the basement. It’s faded and a little musty, smelling faintly of cedar wood and detergent, but it’s familiar. It still has the little hole in the corner, and the part near the top where the batting has bunched up. They’re all three too tall to lay on it properly. But it’s a piece of home. They’ve set up far enough from the tide to avoid getting wet, but Sora knows that the cool, damp sand is still close enough to the surface to bury his feet, one arm behind his head as he points at the sky. 

"That one,“ he says softly, voice almost lost in the crash of the incoming waves, the bright red star twinkling above them. He’s not sure how he knows. He just does, pausing as he relives the memories, the faces of those he holds dear coming to the forefront. He wonders if he’ll ever see them again.

It’s a comfortable routine they’ve set up. Sora and Riku don’t talk about their journeys, and Kairi doesn’t ask; it’s an unspoken rule that they’ll talk when they’re both ready, the beautiful memories still carrying a sharp edge at times. Sora’s got most of the stars figured out by the time they do speak up. 

”…Traverse Town,“ he finishes, the star pulsing a faint yellow near the horizon. Letting his arm fall back to his side, he goes quiet a moment, eyes looking up at the sky, but not seeing anything in particular. It feels so vast, still, making him dizzy to think about how many worlds he’s been to, and how many more he still hasn’t even fathomed. He’s seen magic, and more than his fair share of miracles. But he still feels minuscule underneath it all.

Glancing over, he offers them a smile. He’s still got plenty to spare; he’s never been one to wallow if he can help it. But this one is a little less guarded. It’s a smile that admits he’s got nightmares. But it’s also a smile that’s ready for more, to get up and walk again. 

”…I’m going back,“ he finally says, sitting up. "There’s still stuff that needs to get done before we can really come back.” Before they can come home for good. The other two nod, sitting up with him. It doesn’t need to be said, that all three of their beds will be empty again, their friends worried. But Riku does anyway, closing his eyes as he picks his words carefully, that same vulnerable smile on his own lips. 

"You’ll probably mess something up if we don’t go with you,“ he teases gently. "You’re completely hopeless without us,” Kairi adds, only half-meaning it. Sora laughs a little. He knows it’s true to an extent. 

"…thanks,“ he finally settles on. He knows he’s seen some amazing things, unbelievable sights and people. He knows he’s had power of his own, a power he’d always tried to use for good. But for all he’d seen and done, all the strength he’d held, Sora’s glad he’s still got the thing that keeps him going.


End file.
